Pocket-bank.



810.848,218. PATBNTBD m8828180?. J. B. Wm, 1. D. PERRY 8 J. MERGKBNS.

POCKET BANK.

APPLIOATIOR FILED NOV. 13,1905.

V l '5 g8 Y fall) perm 098113 @reha-s UNiTEn sTATEs PATENT oEETcE.

JOHN B. WEIR, IRA D. PERRY, AND JOHN MERCKEN S, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN ORS TO J. B. WEIR & CO., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

POCKET-BANK.

ive. 848,218.

Specrcation of Letters Patent.

Patented March 26, 1907.

Application filed November 13, 1905. Serial No. 287,201.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN B. VELR, IRA D. PERRY, and JOHN MERcxENs, citizens of the United States, and residentsl of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pocket-Banks, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a class of banks which are small and capable of being carried in the pocket and into which the holder of the same can from time to time place coins without being able to extract any coins until the bank is opened.

The object of our invention is to so construct the bank that by certain manipulations it can be easily and quickly opened to take the contents out and also closed as quickly when the contents have been extracted.

A further object is by the constructionof our bank when once it has been put together to make it practically impossible to be opened without the necessary device for opening it.

A further object is to make our bank by its construction cheap in cost.

A further object is to make an advertising device which will be sold to banks, trust companics, and the like 4and by them given to their patrons to save their money.

A further object is to have the bank by its construction incapable of being opened by the users of the same until it is brought to the party who gave it away and who is equipped with the necessary device for opening the bank.

Vith these objectsin view we will now describe Our bank, in which the figures of the drawings are Figure l is a side elevation of our bank. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a plan view of bottom case. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of our bank separated or unlocked. Fig. 5 is a modified form showing annular grooves concave. y Fig. 6 is a modified form of piece B without any slits.

A cylindrical shell or cover piece A, consist ing of the side c and top c', telescopd over a like constructed cylindrical piece B with side b and bottom b. The inside of the cylinder A equals the outside diameter of the cylinder B, and the two cylinders when they are telescoped together are locked from separation by the annular convex grooves a2 in the cover A and the annular convex groove b2 in the piece B, the annular groove b2 being practically the same size as the inside size of the groove a2, the outside diameter of the groove b2 being somewhat larger than the inside diameter of the side c of the cover A.- We have shown at b3 and b4 slits in the side b of the piece B, extending from the top down and cutting through the groove b2. These slits b3 and b4 allow the side b2 of the piece B when it is being telescoped into the cover A to spring inwardly far enough to allow of the free passage to engagement of the grooves b2 and a2, and when the grooves are thus engaged it is impossible for them to be separated by any pressure derived by pulling on the cover A and piece B by the hands.

As it requires a much greater pressure to separate the cover A from the piece B than can be produced by the hands alone, we provide on the cover A, at the top of the side a, an annular flange a3, and on the piece B, at the bottom of the side b, a similar annular flange b5. These annular flanges a3 and b5 extend outwardly far enough to allow of a gripping device to engage each separately, and which gripping c evice is operated `t0 separate the cover A from the piece B by a lever movement of the gripping device. For the ingress of coins we provide a slot at in the cover A, which can be protected from having the coins taken out by any suitable coin-slot mechanism adapted for this class of bank.

We do not wish to limit ourselves to using the piece B with the slits b and b4, as the cover A and the piece B could be sprung together without the use of the slits by making the piece B of very thin metal but it would not give as good results as we procure by using the slits, as shown. The heads or cylindrical pieces A and B are non-removably connected together. By non removable I mean heads which can only be forced open or ap art by machinery.

It will be observed that the circumferential wall c of the top or outer member extends entirely to. and abuts closely against the annular flange b5, this being important in that it prevents the insertion of the edge of an implement to pry the members apart. It will be observed also that the circumferential wall of the inner member terminates short of the top wall of the outer member and that IOO the coin-receiving slot d4 is located in the side wall of the outer member at a point between the side wall of the inner member and the top of the outer member, so that the coin-'slot will always remain uncovered irrespective of the relative positions of the members when they are jammed together. The coin-slot is formed in the side wall of the safe for the reason that that location enables the coins to be inserted straight in, whereas if it were located in the top or bottom wall the coins would have to be inserted obliquely in view of the necessary shallowness of the box. A further reason for locating the slot in the side wall near one of the end walls is that in that position it does not materially weaken the box and besides leaves both end walls free for decorating and advertising matter. A further advantage in this location of the slot is that the guard for the slot may be more conveniently arranged than if the slot were in one or the other of the end walls.

Ve claim as our invention- 1. A flat pocket-bank, consisting of a pair of shallow telescoping members each consisting of an end wall and an elastic annular wall and an annular outward-extending rigid iiange at the juncture of the end wall with the annular wall, the annular walls being provided with an annular interlocking bead and groove, said annular walls and interlocking bead and groove having a sufficiently tight fit to render manual separation of the sections imposs'ible and said flanges affording a hold for the jaws of an opening and closing machine and being sufficiently rigid to withstand the entire strain of repeatedly and forcibly separating the sections and jamming them together, the inner annular wall terminating short of the end wall of the other member, and the outer member being provided with a coin-slot in its annular wall at a point between the end of the inner wall and the end wall of the outer member.

2. A flat pocket-bank, consisting of a pair of shallow telescoping members each consisting of an end wall and an elastic annular wall and an annular outward-extending rigid flange at the juncture of the end wall with the annular wall, the annular walls being provided with an annular interlocking bead and groove, said annular walls and interlocking bead and groove having a sufficiently tight iit to render manual separation of the sections impossible and said flanges affording a hold for the jaws of an opening and closing machine and being suificiently rigid to withstand the entire strain of repeatedly and forcibly separating the sections and jamming them together, the inner annular wall terminating short of the end wall of the other member, one of the members being provided with a coin-slot.

3. A i'lat pocket-bank, consisting of a pair of shallow members each consisting of the circular end wall and an annular fasteningwall and an annular outward extending ilange, said annular walls being adapted to telescope into each other and being provided with an interlocking bead and groove, said annular walls and bead and groove having a tight frictional iit and the inner wall being terminated short of the end wall of the other member, and the outer member being provided with a coin-slot in its annular wall at a point between the end of the inner wall and the end wall of the outer member, for the purposes set forth.

ln testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we aiiX our signatures, in presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 11th day of November, A. D. 1905.

JOHN B. VVEIR. IRA D. PERRY. JOHN MERCKENS. Witnesses:

F. H. DRURY, ALBERT JOHN SAUsER. 

